Before Lightspeed
by carmenkhoiaos
Summary: This is set a year before Lightspeed Rescue begins. I'm guessing it's a year because Dana is 17. This is her interacting and meeting the people that are going to be her teammates in about a years time.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello... Okay, i don't know why i thought to do what i'm going to do with the Lightspeed Rangers in this FanFic, but i hope you like it.

I own nothing.

* * *

There it was again. An alarm was ringing in the distance. It almost sounded like it was pleading with her to up, so it could finally rest. Dana Mitchell poked her head out from the warm covers she was in. She saw her alarm clock glowing in the darkness of her two person living quarters.

Reluctantly, she stuck her feet out of the warmth and placed them on the floor. The coolness aided in helping her body realize it was time to wake up. She dashed across her quarters and turned the alarm off.

Doing this, however, activated the 'wake up protocol'. It helped her not to go back to bed after turning the alarm off. The lights lit up and Dana had to cover her eyes.

"Good morning Miss Mitchell." The A.I. program said in its female voice.

"Good morning." She sighed and returned to her bed, throwing herself back on her sheets. "What time is it?"

"It is five o'clock." It responded. "The sun will rise at…"

As the A.I. continued its weather analysis, Dana's hand; which was hanging from the side of her bed; touched a box under it. She slowly took the box and sat up with it in her lap. She took a deep breath and opened it.

The first thing she saw was a drawing she had done when she was two. It was of her and her father riding in a rescue car. It seemed that her two year old self knew both of them were going into the rescue field. After that, came more pictures of fruit… or people. She still hadn't figured it out. At the bottom of the box was something she wasn't expecting to see.

It was the last photo her entire family had taken, before two members had been taken. Her mother, a beautiful woman from whom she'd inherited her blond hair, was holding a young Dana in her lap. Dana had her hand on a young boy's shoulder; her brother Ryan. He was leaning on their father, William Mitchell, who had his arms around his wife's shoulders.

Dana's hands started shaking and her vision suddenly became blurred. Her emotions were taking over again. She'd lost her mother when she was three and a half. Her brother had left her when she was six. She threw everything back into the box and shoved it under her bed. She fell to her knees and tried to regain control.

She hadn't cried since she saw Titanic. She was seventeen years old! Why would she cry over something she had made peace with many years ago? She took deep breaths, forcing the tears to make a U-turn. In a few minutes she was okay again.

"Computer, what's the time?" she asked.

"It is five past five Miss Mitchell."

Only five minutes had passed! Dana got her towel and headed for the shower. She was supposed to test a new ranger suit at six, followed by her regular training for four hours. At ten thirty, she had Paramedic practical training at Mariner Bay Hospital. It was one of the few times she got to leave the Aquabase, which had been her home since she was seven.

While other kids got to go to regular school, Dana had been schooled in the Aquabase. This included normal school subjects and various military training.

When she was done in the shower, she changed into her standard issue Lightspeed uniform. It consisted of a light blue shirt with the initials D. Mitchell sown in on the left chest, a black pencil skirt and black shoes.

She stepped out of her room and headed to the galley. The galley was occupied by a few of the Lightspeed Operators whose shifts began now. The chef gave Dana her regular breakfast, an omelette. She thanked him and sat at one of the tables.

Angela Fairweather stepped into the galley. She thanked the chef as he handed her a hot mug of coffee. She sat across the table from Dana.

"Good morning Miss Fairweather." Dana said.

"Good morning." She took a sip of her coffee and sighed.

Dana smiled. "Long night?"

Miss Fairweather chuckled and nodded, "I'm trying to perfect the ranger suits. It's not easy." She took in a breath and sat back in her chair, "It's moments like this when I wish my brother were here. But he's so busy with…"

Angela Fairweather sat back up and cautiously looked at Dana. She wanted to slap herself for mentioning her brother. Dana stared down at her omelette, smiling. She looked back at Angela.

"It's okay Miss Fairweather. And don't worry about it. You can speak of your brother as much as you want to. Don't worry about me."

Dana thought she sounded convincing enough. It was true though. Ryan was dead. Angela's brother was still there. She wasn't going to be jealous of that.

Angela smiled at her. "Are you ready to be a guinea pig?" she asked when Dana finished her omelette.

Dana laughed and the two of them made their way to the lab that Angela spent most of her time in. The other scientists greeted her and she greeted them all by name. Dana went to the changing room and got into figure hugging pink and grey spandex. She got into position in the middle of the room. The scientists had cleared the testing floor, now standing in the data room.

One of the younger scientists strapped a morpher on her left arm. She looked down at the morpher.

"Dana activated the morpher and we'll take it from there."

She yelled out the morphing call and a thousand watts of electricity ran over her skin. As quickly as the electricity had come it was gone. Dana was staring through a visor, heart racing. No matter how many times she morphed, she still couldn't shake the adrenalin rush she got when the pink suit materialised over her skin.

"Alright." She heard Angela's voice in her ear. "We are going to start with durability."

The floor shifted under her feet. A treadmill stood under her feet. The machine started and she began jogging. Half an hour later, Dana was still going strong. The treadmill slowly came to a stop. Dana put her hands on her knees, breathing hard.

"Dana, we're going to test how much damage the suit can handle." Angela's voice came through.

"Alright." Dana raised her thumb at the scientists in the data room. She realized this would be what the chosen Rangers would have to go through. That didn't mean she had to enjoy getting hit by blasters. "I'm ready."

The blasters came out of the walls and began doing what they were programmed to. Dana took the hits skilfully. The only reason she hadn't toppled over in pain was thanks to her training. She had a higher pain tolerance than other girls her age.

A big blaster came out of a wall. Dana braced herself for the impact. It hit her right in the chest and she fell back, quickly finding her balance again. Before she had a chance to say she was okay, someone yanked her helmet off.

Angela helped Dana sit up. "How are you doing?" she asked concern in her voice.

"I'm fine Miss F." she stood up with Angela's help. "The suit took most of the damage. I only feel winded."

"Alright, enough testing for today," Dana demorphed and gave her the morpher, "You need to get ready for your training now. And stop by the medical centre on your way."

Dana sighed but smiled, "Yes Miss F."

She got out of the spandex and headed to the medical centre. The Lightspeed nurses made a fuss about her. That was the problem she faced at the Base. Because she was the Captain's daughter, everyone acted as a parent to her.

She left the infirmary, changed into her training clothes and went to the training yard. Today, Lightspeed was going to train the new Marine recruits. The candidates were talking amongst themselves. They were all between the ages of nineteen and twenty five.

Dana stood by the doorway, observing the candidates. Some of the guys were playing immature pranks on each other. The five other girls in the program rolled their eyes at the boys who had just farted in unison. She felt bad for them already. Commander Fredrick was a man who took training seriously. If the boys didn't have the same attitude, they wouldn't survive his training.

Dana was quickly brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. Her reflexes kicked in… unfortunately. She elbowed the perpetrator and swung him over her shoulder. She got down on one knee and readied to punch him in the face. She backed away when she realized he was just one of the recruits.

"Miss Mitchell." Commander Fredrick, an elderly, well-built man of fifty-five with grey hair and a scar on his chin, came into the room, "Release the recruit."

She stood up and helped the recruit up. She stood at attention. The rest of the room followed suit.

"Pardon me sir. It was a reflex." She explained.

"I realize." He stood in front of her. "Miss Mitchell, today you will be aiding me in teaching these rookies."

She saluted, "Yes sir!"

She moved to stand beside him.

"Alright you little sea slugs!" the Commander belted out using the nick name he had for rookie Marines. "You are about to endure the toughest four hours of your lives! Many of you will decide to quit after this! I won't hold it against you. It just means you are unprepared to do what is required to become a Marine! I'm here to weed out the chaff from the barley! That's what I get paid to do! Let's begin!"

**Four Hours Later**

Some of the Marines were in the infirmary. The Lightspeed nurses were tending to the wounds they had sustained in the field exercise. Dana helped the nurses tend to some of the recruits. Besides a small scratch she received from a branch, she was okay.

Dana walked over to the young man she had flipped over her shoulder. He had splinters in his shoulder from the 'Log Dodge' exercise. She'd cleaned the wound and given him the necessary antibiotics. He opened his eyes to look at her. She smiled at him.

"How are you doing?"

"Good." He smiled at her. "So… do you do this often?"

"Every month."

"Were you this bad when you began?"

"I was much worse." He seemed confused. Dana sighed and lifted her shirt, revealing a scar running diagonally over her stomach. The rookie winced. "First time I attempted that course, the log cut me open. It wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine." The rookie said. "But you didn't give up."

"No. The skills you learn from this training will be with you forever. It's worth sticking around for."

"Dana!" one of the nurses called to her, "You're running late honey."

She looked at the time. She gasped and ran out, thanking the nurse. She was going to be late for Paramedic training… on a day when they got to do training with the Mariner Bay Fire Department.

* * *

Okay, chapter one done. You know what to do.

I needed to get this chapter out of my head so there you go. i'll post another chapter when i get done with it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright! It took me a while but i finally finished this chapter. I had my sister proof read it cause i spent all night on it. It would have been on two days ago, but there were connection issues and when i finally logged in, Fanfiction was having issues. Sorry.

I own nothing

* * *

A black BMW was racing through deserted streets in Mariner Bay. The driver was obviously in violation of many traffic rules. But in this part of Mariner Bay, no one was there to give the driver a ticket.

Dana had plotted the safest, but unfortunately not the shortest way to Mariner Bay Hospital. She still had six minutes to get there on time. She would have had more if it wasn't for her father's objection.

(Flashback)

Dana ran through the halls of the Aquabase, skilfully missing anyone she would have bumped into. Although the one person she hoped she would miss was the person she bumped into.

"Dana, why the rush?"

Captain Mitchell, her father, held on to her shoulders with a smile. He was taller and stronger than her.

"Father, I'm late for paramedic training." She said quickly.

"I'll get Henderson to drive you there."

Before he could move, Dana grabbed his hand. "It's not necessary. The workers on the bridge are getting my car ready."

Captain Mitchell's face turned worried. Even after all these years he was afraid of her travelling in cars. Dana sighed.

"I'll be fine." She placed a hand on his cheek reassuringly. "I've been driving on my own for a while now."

Captain Mitchell shook his head. "At least let the escorts go with you."

"I'm late. Can we discuss this later?"

"But Dana…"

"Captain?" one of the Lightspeed employees walked up to him. She was holding a clipboard. "I need you to sign this."

While her father was busy with the paperwork, Dana quickly sneaked away. Stealth was one of her highest ranked skills. Before she got to the bridge, she heard the Captain yell her name.

(End of Flashback)

The BMW got to the hospital parking lot. Dana grabbed her Medical Bag and ran towards the building, locking the car from a distance. She'd changed into her green paramedic training uniform while her car was being escorted out of the Aquabase.

Sometimes she couldn't keep up with how many different uniforms she had to change into every day. Once she had accidentally shown up to paramedic training in her Military training uniform.

Dana got to the rest of the group just as their trainer arrived. She did a role call before beginning.

"I'm glad that all of you showed up on time." Mrs Hanes, a senior Paramedic for the Hospital said. "Let's remember that punctuality is important in our line of work. Now, let's get to the Fire station before we're late."

A bus came around the corner of the Hospital. The trainees got in and made their way to Mariner Bay Fire Department.

* * *

The Mariner Bay Fire Department was located on the south side of Mariner Bay Hospital. It was a two level building equipped with three rooms and two garages which accommodated the fire trucks. The rooms had four beds and two communal bathrooms.

The bus was greeted by the fire chief. The Paramedic trainees got off the bus and lined up in front of the Chief. Each of them carried their medical aid kit.

"Welcome everyone." The chief said in a husky voice. "I am fire chief Hanes. This is the first time in Mariner Bay's history that these two divisions are working together to get the best fire-fighter/paramedic relationship we can for the future. Please follow me."

Chief Hanes lead the group into the fire station where a group of fire fighter trainees were waiting. The senior fire fighters were watching from the second floor of the fire house. Mr and Mrs Hanes stood between the two groups.

"For today's exercise you will all be paired to work in teams of four." Chief Hanes said. "There are 24 candidates in all; two Paramedics and two Fire Fighters in each group. Pair up."

"Except Marie Dawson, Dana Mitchell, Gregory Blake and Carter Grayson." Mrs Hanes added.

Dana looked to Marie. The two of them were the best at their training. They couldn't think of any reason their trainer wanted to exclude them from training. The two fire fighters also made their way out of the crowd of people trying to find partners.

The shorter of the two young men had black hair and green eyes. He was fit enough to be intimidating, even with his lack of height. His partner towered over him, which he did to almost everyone in the room. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes.

The recruits lined up in front of their superiors.

"The four of you will be a team." Chief Hanes said.

"You have excelled in your training and studies. You are the alpha dogs in your respective categories." Dana smiled at the familiar term. "Dawson, you're paired with Blake. Grayson, you're with Mitchell."

Dana almost saluted to the chief. She settled for a nod instead. Turning to her partner, Dana bumped into Carter Grayson's chest. Carter put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length.

Dana felt a little embarrassed. Carter smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Dana's brain betrayed her and refused to form any words for her mouth to say. She had seen so many young men in her history with the military. Most of them would make young women weak at the knees. She had never gotten that effect. Now she was standing in front of someone who would be a future fire fighter and she was as mute as a fan girl.

Dana forced her mind to make words.

"I'm fine." Carter took his hands off of her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Carter chuckled. "I'm fine." He held his hand out for her. "I'm Carter Grayson."

She shook his hand, "Dana Mitchell."

A clap interrupted them. Chief Hanes called the trainees to attention.

"If you are all paired up, follow us to the training yard to begin today's lesson."

The rookies followed the Chief and Mrs Hanes to the back yard of the fire department. It was an open field with many practice obstacles for the fire-fighters to train in. The chief got a fire uniform from a rack and began putting it on.

"My husband and I will demonstrate the exercise for today." Mrs Hanes began. The house behind her caught on fire. Some of the paramedic students took a step back. "The fire-fighters will enter the house and retrieve a dummy. This dummy weighs the same as an average human male. The dummy will be brought out where the paramedics will take over. You have to check the dummy as if it were human before putting it on a gurney on its way to the ambulance. Once the dummy is securely tied down, the exercise will end."

Chief Hanes stood by the closed door of the practice house. He was dressed in full fire-fighter gear. Mrs Hanes got her medical kit ready. One of the senior fire-fighters blew a horn. Chief Hanes broke down the door and went in. A few minutes later, the chief came out with a dummy on his back.

He carried the dummy all the way to where his wife was standing and put it down on the ground. Mrs Hanes sprang into action and began inspecting the dummy. The chief caught his breath and sat next to her as she inspected it. He helped her get all the necessary tools from her first aid kit.

Once Mrs Hanes was sure everything was fine, the two of them loaded the dummy onto the gurney. Once they secured the dummy a loud horn blew.

"Alright," the chief clapped his hands together, "Who's next?"

* * *

After a hard day's work and repeating the exercise three times (because of a lack of fire calls), all the trainees were exhausted. They were sitting all around the fire station bay. Carter went to Dana who was sitting next to one of the fire hoses. He handed her a bottle of water.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They drank in silence.

"Is the fire chief always this tough with his training?" Dana asked after a while.

"Usually," He placed the cap back on his water bottle. "It's not a bad thing. I mean, we are going to have people's lives in our hands when we graduate. We have to be the best. That's why he expects the best."

Dana nodded in agreement. She knew this from experience. "You did really well in the exercise today."

"Thanks. You did well too."

"Grayson, Mitchell! Come over here!" one of the trainees called them.

They got up and joined the rest in the centre of the room. They had formed a big circle. They squeezed in. Chief Hanes and Mrs Hanes were standing in the middle.

"I want to congratulate you on a good day's work." chief Hanes said. "All of you have made me proud today. You have also given me hope that the future of the people of Mariner Bay is in good hands." The group clapped. "Now, each group is to come to the fire station and live here for two days. During those two days you will receive practical training and experience. If there is a fire, you will all attend to it." Mumbles filled the crowd of trainees. "The senior members will be there to help you but will not hold your hands."

"The day and the time each group has to be here is on the notice board in the back." Mrs Hanes said. "Once you have all seen it, we will return to the Hospital and you will be relieved for the day."

The trainees flocked to the notice board. Dana and Carter stood back until everyone had looked. They were scheduled to work the next day with a call time of five o'clock in the morning. Dana sighed. Her father didn't want her away from the Aquabase. How was she going to explain this one to him?

* * *

Dana walked to through the halls of the Aquabase. She was dreading having to talk to her father. But it was something that needed to be done. She knocked on the door to his private quarters. His happy voice came from the other side.

She entered. Her father was dressed in a simple shirt with sweat pants and slippers. He looked nothing like the man who ran the entire Aquabase. He looked like an everyday family man. The private quarters had a dining table which was decorated for their regular meal.

They had agreed to have dinner every night once they'd moved into the Aquabase. It started because Dana had been afraid of the place; since then it became a daily routine.

"Do you mind setting the plates Day?"

"Sure."

She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and placed them on the table. Captain Mitchell stood in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the spaghetti sauce. Most of the Lightspeed workers didn't know this but the Captain was a masterchef.

He brought the food to the table and the two sat for dinner. As he dished the food Dana was working up the nerves to talk to him.

"Father, I have to tell you something."

The Captain placed his fork down. "This sounds serious."

"It's not that serious." She inhaled deeply. "I'm going to be out of the base for a couple of days. It's part of my paramedic training."

The Captain sat back and sighed. "You know how I feel about you leaving the base."

"I know. But I've left so many times before." She looked him in the eyes. "Why don't you trust me unless I'm on some sort of military related mission?"

"I don't want to sound like an over protective father but I will." Dana shook her head, "On military missions I can call in and check up on you. I have the authority to do that. On civilian missions I don't have that authority. Lightspeed is to remain a secret to civilians until the day the demons show themselves again."

Dana sat back in her chair. The two of them had a staring contest. It was childish, but this was how they solved their differences when they were on their own. Two minutes later, both of them were still going strong. A moment later the Captain gave in.

Dana got out of her chair victoriously. The Captain groaned but smiled.

"I want you to call me at least four times a day."

"Two." Dana countered.

"Fine." The Captain laughed, "Now please sit so we can eat."

Dana went back to her chair and dug into her food. The Captain smiled at his daughter. She would never know that he had given up on purpose so she could win. It was time for him to allow his daughter some freedom; even if it was the hardest thing he ever had to do.

* * *

Dana was on her way to the fire station. Her father had woken up to see her off. He had even handed her the car keys. Seeing Mariner Bay at four in the morning was something she had never experienced. At this time at the base, all she could see were fish. Because of the scenery and because she was an hour ahead of schedule, Dana decided on taking the long way to the fire station.

As she drove on, she noticed a person walking in the streets with a bag slung over the shoulder. She slowed down and turned her window down.

"Excuse me? Are you okay?"

The person turned to her. To her surprise it was Carter. He smiled at her.

"Hey." He walked towards the car. "I didn't know you were an early bird too."

"Come on in."

She unlocked the car and he got in. She continued driving and the car fell into an awkward silence. Carter rubbed his hands trying to keep warm. Dana turned the hot air on.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She said. "Why are you up so early?"

"I like to see Mariner Bay when it's quiet."

"I've always wanted to do that."

Carter turned to face her. "Well, you could just stick your head out of the window." Dana chuckled. It wasn't that simple for her. "Tell me about yourself Dana."

"What purpose would that serve Carter?"

"We're going to be working together for two days." Dana turned to look at him. He shrugged. "We might as well get to know each other."

She turned back to face the road. "I'm seventeen years old. I got my high school degree at fourteen, one of the youngest ages in Mariner Bay's education history. I live with my father. My mother is deceased, so is my older brother, Ryan. I've been training to be a paramedic since I turned fifteen." She looked at Carter as he took in all this information. "Your turn."

"I'm Carter Grayson, eighteen years of age." Dana smiled at that. "I graduated high school last year and immediately entered fire-fighter training. I live on my own." Dana turned to face him when he said that. "My Grandmother took care of me until she died a few months ago. My parents died in a car accident when I was twelve." Dana turned back to the road trying not to show how upset she was. "You want to know the real reason I'm out here at this time?" She nodded. "I can't stand to be in my Grandmother's house. It brings back memories that I can't deal with right now."

Dana slowly reached her hand over to hold his. Carter took it graciously. She kept driving and didn't make eye contact with Carter. Both of them sat in silence as she comforted him.

When they got to the fire station, it was four thirty. The senior fire fighters were surprised to see them so early. They gave them their rooms and equipment stations for the two days. Once Marie and Gregory arrived and got settled, the fire-fighters gave them their rundown of responsibilities.

* * *

At Mariner Bay Retirement Home, a circle of elderly were huddled in a circle. In the centre of it was Marie (in her paramedic uniform) holding the hand of an elderly woman. She had fallen during a game of poker, dislocating her hip.

"You're doing great Erna." She told the woman soothingly. "My partners coming in with the gurney and you will be out of pain soon."

Erna nodded at her, even giving her a small smile. Dana came in, pushing the gurney, followed by two male EMT's, Tomas and Daniel. The senior paramedics stood back and let the two rookies work. Dana and Marie worked in synchronisation as they got Erna stable for the move to the gurney.

Marie signalled the EMT's to do their part. The two girls stood back as they carefully put Erna onto the gurney. The EMT's stepped back and allowed the girls to continue their work. They pushed her to the waiting ambulance, got her in (with the help of the EMT's) and drove to the hospital.

Once Erna was under the care of the medical staff, Dana and Marie stepped back. They laughed and gave each other a high five.

"Good job girls." Tomas said with a smile.

He handed them their emergency kits.

"Thank you." Marie said.

"We have to transfer another elderly patient to the hospital." Daniel said. "But we'll be back as soon as we can."

The two watched them walk out of the hospital doors. A minute later, their earpiece made the sound that indicated an incoming transmission.

"Fire in residential area four." The dispatcher said. "Code 7A2. The fire brigade has already been informed and are en route."

"We're on our way." Dana responded to the dispatcher.

Marie grabbed Dana's arm. "How exactly are we going to get there?"

Dana pulled her car keys from her pocket. Marie smiled and the two girls ran to the parking lot.

* * *

An apartment building was on fire. Six of the ten floors were pouring out thick black smoke. Four fire trucks had arrived at the scene and still couldn't maintain the fire. Ambulances were driving in and out of the area.

Carter and a bunch of other fire-fighters were getting ready to go in to the building. Chief Hanes stood in the centre of the circle.

"Listen up! We have a life threatening situation." He said in a booming voice. "There are six floors which are on fire. We will go in pairs. Rookies stick to the lower floor." He called out the other pairs and which floors they were to tackle. "Quick in, quick out! Keep your masks on at all times. Call for back up if you need it. Don't try to be a hero. The uniform already does that."

The fire-fighters broke out of the circle and went towards the building. Carter and his partner, Gregory searched the bottom floor. Carter found a young girl, trapped under some fallen metal. With Gregory's help, he got her out.

Carter gave the little girl his mask and followed Gregory as he searched for more people in need. They found no one else and exited the building. As the sun made contact with his eyes, Carter realized why the chief had told them to keep the mask on.

Someone grabbed his arm and lead him. The little girl was taken from him.

"What are you doing?" he protested.

"Don't worry, I'm a paramedic!"

Carter felt relieved and sat on the floor. Someone else lead him to a gurney. The person put an oxygen mask on him. He breathed in deeply, thanking whoever had put it on.

"Didn't you hear what the captain said Carter?" Dana's voice sounded in his ears. "Don't try to be a hero."

His vision finally became clear. He smiled. "I'm just doing my job."

Dana took the mask off of him. They were sitting next to the Ambulance Tomas and Daniel drove. "At least wait until you get some life insurance."

Carter looked around and saw Marie with the little girl. He smiled at her and she smiled back. There was a loud explosion. Every eye on the outside of the building turned to it. The seventh floor had begun burning. The four rookies looked at each other.

"I'm going back in!" Carter said.

"Grayson!" Gregory tried to stop him from picking up his mask. "You're a rookie."

"Well Blake, how are you supposed to learn anything if you don't try?"

"You're crazy." Dana said, "The chief will stop you even before you make it to the door."

"Not if I go through the back."

"There is no back." Marie said.

Carter shrugged it off. "Then I'll make one. Dana, you have a car right?"

Her eyebrows jumped up. "No way Grayson!"

"Do it for the people trapped in that building."

Dana groaned. "Fine! But I'm driving!"

Dana grabbed her first aid kit and lead the boys to where the car was parked. They all got in and she drove around to the back of the building.

"Everyone hold on to something."

She pushed down on the gas and the car went speeding towards a wall. It crashed through and came to a halt by the stairs. The boys got out of the car and sprang in to action.

"Blake, check the elevators for any trapped people."

"Got it!"

"I'll check the other floors."

"Grayson!" he turned to face Dana, "Don't make me regret this!"

He took his mask off for a second to reveal a smirk, "I would never."

He put his mask back on and ran up the stairs. Dana got out of the building. The fire-fighters wondered where she'd come from. She waved them off and returned to her station. More fire-fighters came out of the building carrying injured people.

Dana aided them so she wouldn't focus on the worry she felt for Carter and Gregory. Five patients had left for the Hospital but Carter and Gregory were still not out. The entrance filled with smoke. A figure appeared at the entrance.

Gregory came out dragging a fire-fighters body. Other fire-fighters helped him get the man to the EMTs. Carter came through the smoke carrying two people. A young boy was holding on to his back while he dragged another man.

He had given his jacket to the little boy and his oxygen mask to the man. The senior fire-fighters took the civilians from him and he collapsed to his knees. Senior paramedics took care of them. Dana ran over to him and helped him to the ambulance.

Marie helped her work on him as Tomas and Daniel drove away. When they got to the hospital, Dana almost forgot to let the doctors and nurses take over. Marie grabbed her arm to stop her from walking into the operating room.

* * *

It had been a week since the assignment ended. The trainers had called and ordered the trainees back to the fire station. Dana had to take the bus this time. Her car was in the body shop. The damages to it could be fixed. But until then her father had given her two options… have one of the Lightspeed employees drive her, or take public transportation.

When Dana got to the fire station, she talked to everyone. After a while she moved to a corner and watched from there.

"Hey Dana."

She turned to see Carter standing next to her. He had had minor smoke inhalation and a few scrapes on his elbows. There was a small scrape on his chin.

"Carter. I'm glad you're doing better."

"Me too."

Dana turned to him and lightly traced a finger over the scar on his chin. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Next time try not to scare me."

Carter laughed. Chief Hanes called the recruits to attention.

"Over the past few weeks, we have been preparing you all for your final exams." Mrs Hanes said, "What we didn't tell you guys was that this exercise was you're your final exam."

Each of the trainees looked at each other.

"All of you made it." Chief Hanes said. "There's a list on the notice board with your active duty stations."

Before the chief could say more, everyone ran to the notice board. Dana, Carter, Marie and Gregory were the last to check the list. Marie and Gregory were placed in the same area of Mariner Bay. Carter was stationed at the current fire station and Dana was stationed at the coast Hospital.

After the chief and his wife dismissed them, Carter offered to walk Dana to the bus station.

"I could give you ride home you know."

Dana sighed. "Let it go Carter. I'm not letting you."

"You're so stubborn."

"I think you're worse than me."

They sat at the bus stop. This time the silence wasn't awkward. It was something that both of them could live with. They stayed that way until the bus arrived. Both of them stood up.

"I'll see you around Carter."

He held his arms out for a hug. Dana shook her head but hugged him back. For a moment, neither of them wanted to let go. She eventually pulled away and boarded the bus. She took a seat by the window. The two of them retained eye contact until they couldn't see each other anymore.

* * *

There you go. The code 7A2 means "Fire Alarm Unknown Situation. I got it from the internet. So if it's wrong, don't kill me please. And if you know the right code please let me know. One general question before i sign off until the next chapter... Do you guys like reading the description in between dialogue in books or novels?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi guys. Holidays are over for me unfortunately. Gotta go back to school again. sigh. Thank you to everyone who's reading this. I appreciate it very much. I also apologise for not updating in a long time.

Here's another chapter :)

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An Ambulance pulled into Mariner Bay Hospital at eight forty-five. A young man got out the driver's side. He had blond hair and was well built. His paramedic uniform was blue, which brought out his green eyes. He looked at the floor as he walked to the back of the ambulance to open the doors.

His partner, Dana Mitchell, had puffy eyes and a red nose. She wore the same blue uniform. Tonight had been a bad night for the two of them. There had been seven senior deaths in their thirteen hour shift. They had tried to save two of the seniors, but it just brought them back to a fact they could never face; not everyone can be saved.

Dana had been affected more than her partner Paul Berry. She got out of her seat and pushed the gurney with the body towards Paul. The two of them pushed the gurney out. Dana got off and closed the door. They pushed the gurney into the hospital in silence.

The nurses in the front room gave the two of them sympathetic smiles when they saw them. Two nurses took over, tapping them on the backs. The two paramedics sat down in the waiting area. Paul put his arm around Dana and she leaned into his embrace.

"This was the worst shift ever." Paul said in a whisper.

Dana put a hand over her eyes and sighed. She was trying to hold back her tears. She used the skills she'd learned in the military to hold them back.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Thankful for the distraction, Dana said yes. Paul made his way to the cafeteria and Dana was left by herself. She had been working with Paul for almost four months now. They worked well together. Both of them took their jobs seriously.

Dana took out her cell phone and stared at it for a long moment. She was thinking of calling Carter Grayson. They hadn't seen or talked to each other since they started working. Their schedules didn't allow it.

She sighed and put her cell phone back into her pocket, leaning back in the chair. Paul came back holding two coffees, two burgers and a flyer. He gave Dana her food and sat down.

"Joel Rawlings is having an air show today." Paul said as he bit into his burger.

Dana picked up the flyer. Joel Rawlings was a stunt pilot who'd come on the scene a couple years back. He was as crazy as he was amazing. Some women were head over heels for him. She saw the appeal, but his recklessness made her worry for him.

"I hope he doesn't hurt himself."

"He's better than when he started out." Paul scarfed down the last of his burger.

When they'd both finished their food, the two of them went to the ambulance and started preparing to end their shift. Just as they had changed out of their uniforms, their pagers went off. Exchanging looks of disbelieve, they put their earpieces in.

"Yes dispatch?" Paul said.

"I'm sorry to have to do this team two." The female voice they'd come to know said. "We need a team to go down to Joel Rawlings show."

Paul looked to Dana. She gave him a nod. He sighed.

"We'll take it dispatch."

"Thanks guys. We owe you one."

Dana and Paul changed back into their uniforms and got back to work.

xxx

Team two had been at the air show for a while now. Some of the women had needed medical attention because they fainted at the sight of the sky cowboy.

"Be careful now." Dana said to one of the fainted women as she finished working on her.

She got out of the ambulance and headed back to where the other fan girls stood. Dana put her shades on and joined Paul outside of the ambulance.

"What's the count?" Paul asked with a smirk on his face.

"Fifteen young women." She said nudging him. "It's a new record for Joel."

"Yep."

"How's Bella?" Dana asked as Joel got into a smaller plane.

Paul smiled. Bella was his girlfriend for the past three years. "She's fine and a little upset."

"Why upset?"

"We were gonna spend the day together." He said. "And… I was gonna ask her something important."

Paul showed Dana a small box. She gasped with a smile.

"You're gonna ask her!"

She threw her arms around him laughing and smiling. He hugged her back. Dana turned to watch Joel again. She had a bad feeling all of a sudden. Paul watched her carefully.

"He's flying too low." Dana said. She watched the plane. "He's losing altitude."

As the crowd watched, Joel's plane fell out of the sky. It crashed into the small patch of grass. Dana ran towards the crash as Paul got into the ambulance to get it closer to the crash. The crowd watched in horror. Dana walked around the crash, looking for an opening.

Joel's hand was sticking out of what was the planes window. She got down on her knees and touched his hand.

"Joel!"

The dark skinned sky cowboy slowly turned his head to her. He had cuts all over his face. There was a gash across his face which was bleeding heavily. Even with his injuries, he managed to give her a smile.

"Hello… Pretty lady."

Dana chuckled. "I'm glad you're talking. My name is Dana Mitchell. I'm a paramedic."

"A pretty girl like you…" he coughed.

Paul got to the scene and Dana shifted. "Joel, I'm going to try and get you out. My partner will stay with you while I work."

Joel said a hoarse okay and Dana moved. She reached into her pocket and got a small pen like device. She had taken some of her gadgets from the Aquabase in case they needed them. This one was one of Miss Fairweather's favourite inventions. It cut through any solid matter.

She put her sunglasses on and turned it on. For a small gadget, it made a huge spark. After a couple of minutes, Dana had cut through enough of the metal to get Joel out. He smiled up at her. Paul took her place, lifting Joel out of the crash.

He placed him on the gurney and Dana started working on him. They didn't move to the ambulance until they were sure he was stable.

xxx

A small beeping sound was ringing in Joel's ear. He opened his eyes but quickly shut them again. The room he was in was brightly lit. He opened his eyes again, slowly this time. The beeping was coming from a heart monitor. He was in a hospital room… again.

What did I do this time, he thought to himself.

The door to his room opened and he slowly, painfully turned to see who it was. A young girl with blond hair came into the room.

He tried to sit up but the pain in his back was too much. The young girl quickly ran to him and his bed slowly lifted until he was almost seated.

"Take it easy Joel. You're still hurting."

His forehead was bandaged and the little scars all over his face were almost healed.

"What happened to me?"

"You were in a plane crash two days ago."

"Two days?" he asked. "My parents are gonna kill me."

"They were here this morning." Dana said. "They seemed more worried than anything else."

"Can I ask you something?" Dana nodded. "Who are you?"

"Oh." Dana laughed sheepishly. "I'm a paramedic. My partner and I got you out of the crash."

"But you're like fifteen."

"Seventeen." Dana corrected, "And I am qualified, just like you are qualified to pilot a plane."

Joel laughed. "I think my mother won't let me back in a plane for a while."

"We found out that she called for a paramedic team to be on site." Joel smiled. "She called so you would be able to get into a plane again."

Dana stayed with Joel for the rest of the visiting time, playing games and making sure he took his medicine.

xxx

Joel and some of the other young patients in the hospital were all gathered in the reception area. Everyone seemed excited about something. One of the patients was sitting in a laundry basket. The wheels on the basket were electronically boosted.

The patient, Kel, had a helmet on his head. Joel, who sat on the reception desk, had a remote in his hands. The bandage on his head was removed and the scar was almost not visible.

"You ready Kel?" he asked.

Kel gave him a nervous thumbs up. The other patients rose into cheers. Kel was going to race across the hospital with Joel controlling the make shift 'car'.

"Let's go!"

Joel started the engine he had attached to the laundry basket and speed across the hospital. Everyone in the building had been warned about the activity. As the cart passed by the rooms, everyone made way for it.

Joel was having a good time. His injuries had healed and he was being released the following morning. Being a daredevil, he couldn't just lie in his hospital bed. He needed to vent the extra energy he had.

The cart was on its way back to the reception area. Unfortunately someone entered the hospital a few seconds before it was due to return. Dana, with a smile on her face and holding a newspaper, came in. She waved at Joel who was too shocked to warn her about the cart heading her way.

Dana sensed something behind her. Her military skills kicked in and she back flipped over the oncoming trouble. The cart came to a stop and she landed on her feet effortlessly. Joel and everyone else in the reception area were dumbstruck.

Dana walked over to Joel with a furious look in her eyes. She confiscated the remote from his hands, grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to his room. It was filled with chocolates and flowers from his female admirers. Dana had to shake her head.

"In bed, now." She told him in a threatening voice.

Joel jumped right in and stared at her. She sat across the bed from him and looked at him questionably.

"What?"

"Are you a ninja?" he asked. This seemed to lighten Dana's mood. "I mean… the way you knew the cart was behind you… and the back-flip…"

"I'm not a ninja." She said with a laugh. "I've just been trained to observe my surroundings and expect the unexpected."

Joel questioned her about the type of training she received. Instead of answering, Dana opened the newspaper and read to him. She had visited him every day for the week he had been in hospital. Before she would end her night shift, she would read the morning paper to him.

Now that she was off again, she was visiting him for the whole day. Joel really enjoyed her company. It was a little refreshing since most of the girls he met were head over heels for him. He liked having a girl friend that didn't go crazy for him.

Dana laughed all of a sudden.

"What?" Joel asked.

"Alright, listen to this." She took a breath to calm her laughter, "What do you call cheese that's not yours?" she waited for a moment and Joel shrugged his shoulders. "Nacho cheese!"

She laughed again but Joel just shook his head. His friend seemed to have bad taste in jokes. She finally stopped laughing when she realized he wasn't. Joel raised his brows at her. She looked down on the paper, blushing.

"Well I thought it was funny."

Dana continued to read something else. The two of them were just teenagers, but the news seemed to interest both of them. When that was done, Joel explained how he managed to add all the extra features to make the laundry basket go so fast. It involved bribing the hospitals engineer for spare parts.

When it was time to leave, Joel escorted Dana to the door.

"I have day shift tomorrow." She told him as they walked down the hall. "I won't be able to see you leave."

"It's alright." He said. "If I wanna see you, all I'll do is have an airshow."

Dana laughed and hugged him.

"See you around Joel."

"See ya Dana."

She walked out of the doors. Joel smiled. He really hoped he would meet her again. She made him feel normal; not like a guy who had too many female fans. He would have to take some measures to cut down his fan base a little.

But then again, having girls chasing him was like a dream come true for him.

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A/N: There ya go. I'm gonna start working on the next chapter as soon as i can. I'm rewatching Lightspeed Rescue to try and make it accurate. Please leave a little review if you have time. :)


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